Objective and Methods: Nonpuerperal mastitis can be difficult to distinguis
h from inflammatory breast cancer at clinical examination and with imaging
studies. We reviewed the clinical and imaging findings in 25 patients.
Results: Clinical examination and imaging studies led to an erroneous diagn
osis of cancer in six patients. Six patients with breast cancer were identi
fied correctly by clinical findings and imaging techniques. Two patients ha
d both breast cancer and mastitis. The specificity of microinvasive biopsy
techniques was good.
Conclusion: All available imaging techniques should be used to evaluate pat
ients with inflammatory lesions of the breast. The threshold for biopsy und
er imaging guidance or open biopsy should be low. Close cooperation among t
he gynecologist, radiologist and pathologist is important.